My Club: Martyn Rooney

The 400m runner, who competed at London 2012, reckons the professionalism
inside the beautiful game is not what it should be – although he doesn’t
doubt players’ commitment.

SunSport caught up with the Croydon-born speed merchant for an exclusive chat
about his beloved Crystal Palace and the differences between athletics and
country’s no1 sport.

TB: Why are you a Palace fan?

MR: Growing up in Thornton Heath near Croydon, Selhurst Park is within walking
distance from my parents’ house. They encouraged me to support a local team
so that was it.

Who is your all-time favourite Palace player?

Ray Houghton. I remember his goal against Italy in World Cup ’94 and when he
came to Palace, it was such a big deal. Both my parents are Irish so it was
really exciting to see the Irish captain sign. I got to meet him a few times
when I was young, too.

What’s the best game you’ve ever been to?

It was last season when Palace beat Man Utd at Old Trafford in the Carling
Cup. It was a magic atmosphere. Palace put themselves among the best
supporters in the country that night and to be a witness to it was amazing
as they silenced the United fans. Darren Ambrose’s wonderstrike stunned
everybody.

What’s your funniest moment from a game?

When United’s right-back Rafael was subbed in that game after being given a
torrid time by Wilfried Zaha and the crowd started chanting, ‘He’s just too
good for you, he’s just too good for you’.

Do you get down to Selhurst Park much?

Not that often as I live in Loughborough and I train on a Saturday. I’ve been
to see them in Leicester although I’ve become a bit of a bad omen as we
always seem to lose when we go there!

What are your thoughts on Palace at the moment?

I went to the opening-day game against Watford where we conceded twice in the
last minute and lost 3-2. We were good in patches but we need to play 90
minutes of football, not 70 minutes. Every fan just wants their team to play
nice, simple football so that’s what we should try to do – we’re not
Barcelona!

Do you think manager Dougie Freedman can go far in the game?

He’s got a great future. It was a great decision to bring him in – the
chairmen did well to bring him in. I don’t know if he’ll be the next Alex
Ferguson, but I would love to have him compared to the man in 30-40 years. I
think Palace is a great place for him to start – he’s passionate about the
club and the youth system so it’s all promising.

Could Zaha play in the Premier League?

He’s too good for the Championship. We are a development club who produces
great players and he’s another one who, if he’s nurtured the right way,
could play for England in the future. The things he did against Watford made
their defence look like old men. He was 10 times better than what he was up
against. I think Dougie is the right manager to help him improve.

As an Olympian, how do you view the modern-day footballer?

Football obviously has a massive profile. In athletics, we don’t get 20,000
people coming every week, which is what football gets so I can understand
why they’re paid a lot of money.

I don’t think they train as hard as athletes though. From my experience I’ve
had from people who have worked with high-level footballers, it is just not
as intense. The media side of things is highly intense but the training is
pretty easy. They only have to train two hours a day whereas in athletics,
it’s a full-time lifestyle choice. The great footballers are the ones who
seem to train a lot harder.

Do you think footballers show enough respect?

To cast all footballers under the same blanket as the ones who get the bad
headlines is unfair. I think they can learn from athletics and other sports
like cycling. I was talking to a guy who had been working with a
Championship side on their speed, and he said that they are 10 years behind
athletics.

The professionalism isn’t the same level as you would expect. Cycling, for
example, brought in the most professional people around and really improved
because of it. I know I’m not the best example of someone that football can
look to because I didn’t bring home any medals, but if you look to what
someone like Mo Farah achieved, there is something football can learn from
the Olympics.

Who is the best footballer in Team GB?

Dai Greene played youth football for Swansea so I’d say him. Adam Gemili has
been the most public of his love for football.

If you were a footballer playing today, whose style would yours most be
like?

The obvious one would be Peter Crouch because he’s tall! It would probably be
a centre-back – I would try to be like Rio Ferdinand at his best when he was
quick, strong and could read the game as well as anyone in the world.